Exclusive Interview with the Top 3 of Canada's Drag Race - Icesis Couture, Kendall Gender and Pythia
To help with who answered what we will be using the following key: Spill the Tea = STT / Icesis – IC / Kendall – KG / Pythia – PY
Top 3! I'm thrilled to be sitting down with all, I'm going to ask you a question each first and then we're going to play a little fun game, is that okay?
All: Yay!
STT: My first question is for you Kendall,
KG: Perfect!
STT: I spoke to your lovely brat pack Sisters over the last few weeks, what was it like having them on a season with you?
KG: You know, it was honestly the best experience, Drag Race obviously is high stress and so many different elements, it was really nice at every moment to be able to look over at my Sisters and know that we have been working together on and off the stage for so many years. It was a really nice sense of comfort.
People say ‘oh clicks don't work’ on Drag Race and all that kind of stuff but for us we have been through hell and high water together, as brat pack Sisters, it was honestly the best experience that I could have had with them.
STT: I love that, it must have been so nice having them there as support rather than going in fully alone, it must've been amazing.
KG: Totally!
STT: I'm going to jump to you Pythia. Your drag looks on the show we're incredible and very unique and we've seen alternate drag sometimes be celebrated but also slated on other Drag Race seasons, were you worried that the judges wouldn't “get” your drag?
PY: Well yeah, speaking of like track records I guess in the past, I was a little worried in general. Actually I'm gonna share this with you, I don't shave for drag, like ever full-on hairy chest, everything.
Before the first day on the set I was going to walk in with my hairy chest and legs out for my entrance look but then I was like f*ck, what if they don't like that. So I shaved everything, I shaved my body, my back, my arms, everything.
I just wanted to make sure that I could make it far enough to showcase enough for myself before they're just like “oh no, this doesn't work”. Anyway, I was very worried at first but then I kind of felt like the more that the time passed, the more I got comfortable and I showed a bit of hair. I grew out my chest.
STT: I love it, be who you are, share the hair!
PY: YAY!
STT: I'm going to jump to you Icesis, you won the first challenge of the season, did you feel that gave you a drive to do so well through the rest of the competition or did you feel it put a massive target on your back?
IC: I feel like it was both, definitely going in and seeing everybody, people like Kendall and Pythia who I knew nothing about, but just looking at them visually I thought, oh this is going to be really hard, the fact that I was able to win the first challenge it made me feel like okay, you need to snap out of it. You belong here, you can make it to the end of this, you're supposed to be here… then the situation that happened the second episode (Icesis ended up in the bottom two). I feel like it kind of put a target on my back because when you do win, everybody's eyes are on you and it's not necessarily a target from the other girls because we truly all do get along and love each other, on and off set, but the judge's eyes are like zoning in on you, any little mistake after you have a win, they're gonna clock you for it!
STT: This is a question for you all. Last week we had a little mini reunion with the rest of your season 2 Sisters, when they came back and Brad said there was going to be a twist, I honestly thought one of them was going to get the chance to join you guys but, of course that wasn't the case, if they were given the chance to fight for their position who do you think would have managed to fight their way back in at that point?
KG: I'm gonna say my sister Synthia because she was kind of a lip-sync assassin, even when she wasn't doing so well in the competition she would lip-sync and be like I’m fine b*tch.
PY: My mind initially went to Synthia as well, I feel like she would take out a lot of these girls very quickly.
KG: With the windmill!
PY: Oh my god, yeah!
STT: I was going to say those windmill arms!
PY: Personally I would love to see Suki come back because I love Suuuuki so much. I love her artistry and I think she's so unique and talented. I would have loved to see her back, maybe at one point, All Stars?
STT: Exactly, you never know never know.
IC: I agree with the other girls, I think Synthia if it was performance-based to get yourself back. I think no one can compare to Synthia, if I had to pick somebody to come back I agree, I would pick Suki.
STT: Are we ready for the game?
ALL: YES!
STT: I'm going to call this game Piping Hot Tea, basically it’s going to be quick fire questions and I need quick answers, (Pythia looks scared) don't worry, they're not scary. Feel free just to shout the answers out to me! Are we ready?
KG: Let’s see!
STT: Who took the longest to get ready for the runways?
(The quick answer doesn’t come and all pause)
KG: I don't know.
IC: We’re all pretty fast.
KG: I feel like maybe Pythia was the fastest…
IC: Yeah! Um…
KG: So maybe between me and me and Grandma.
All break into hysterics.
PY: C’mon old bones!
IC: WOAH! That wasn’t part of the question b*tch.
STT: The creaky knees came up!
(Once we settle down the game continues).
STT: Who was the loudest on set?
IC: GIA!
KG: Kimora!
IC: Oh yeah Kimora was loudest on set for sure. But between us three…
KG: Kimora was loudest on set for sure but I would say maybe me, I have a really loud f*cking voice.
IC: Me and Pythia are pretty quiet.
PY: Yeah, we are the little shy people.
STT: What was better Canada's Drag Race Season 1 or 2.
All: 2!
STT: Did the correct queen win the Sinner's Ball? (I stare directly at Pythia whose mouth is gaping open in shock).
IC: Go ahead Pythia!
PY: Yes!
KG: I will let you two take this one, I was so far on the other side of that f*cking conversation, so you guys go off! No one wants my f*cking opinion!
IC: I’m f*cking dead!
All laugh in hysterics again and once we settle the game begins again.
STT: Did you feel you did well in Snatch Game?
IC: Yes!
PY: No, I didn’t, I wasn’t sure.
KG: I think yes, but it was…
IC: It didn’t air?
KG: I feel like I did alright.
STT: Are you loving this interview?
All: Yes.
STT: Instagram or Tik Tok?
All: Instagram!
STT: Whose the better judge, Brooke or Brad?
PY: Brooke
IC: Brad
KG: Brooooke
STT: Same again, Traci or Amanda?
KG: Amanda
IC : Amanda
PY: Traci
Canada’s Drag Race Season 2 Judges (from left) Amanda, Brad, Brooke and Traci.
KG: But Brad is a great judge!
PY: They were all great!
KG: Yeah they're all amazing.
IC: But Brooke…
KG: Oh god.
IC: You probably should've of said…
IC: I know!
KG: The minute I said it!
IC: I said, don’t do it!
Kendall squeals and then all break into hysterics again.
PY: He’s calling up production right now!
STT: It's done, you can't put the disclaimer in now! It’s nearly Christmas, are you on the naughty or the nice list?
All: Nice.
STT: Final question, who's going to take the crown.
All: ME!
STT: Well done, that's my little game done, did you enjoy that?
ALL: Yes!
KG: I liked it.
IC: It was cute.
STT: My next question isn't actually from me, I asked the Spill the Tea followers if they would like to ask you guys a question and I let them submit them. I narrowed it down and chosen one question to you all , this one is from Lacika Tar and the question is, how did this experience change you?
KG: I think for me when I was on the show, I think sometimes obviously if you're on a reality show you're getting judged and you're getting critiqued so there was a lot of critiques about my aesthetic. For example, I think that when I was on the show it really hurt my feelings and I was like, oh my god. Thing is, you're very sad when you're there but after the show and getting into the top three, leaving the show, that kind of stuff I really look back at differently and I realized that drag is so subjective. I think that's the thing that I learned the most, that everyone has a different opinion of drag you know. Everyone has a different opinion, everyone has their favourite queen, their favourite outfit, all this kind of stuff and I think as long as you like what you present and you feel comfortable with your drag, that's the most important thing. I truly feel like I learned that from the experience. I'm so appreciative that I can take that away, I'm gonna rock my body suits and i'm gonna feel good about it!
STT: Amen!
PY: For me, I would say after filming I feel I started believing in myself a little more. I feel like in the beginning I was very stressed because like Kendall says, we're in a pressure cooker right, so you never know, you're being judged on different criteria and personal tastes! After you're like am I doing good enough? Am I good enough? Do I fit in here? I never knew where I stood in the competition, I was always very stressed and I thought even when I was doing well that I going to be the bottom. All the time, I was really worried, I was always preparing for the worst. Now I think I've learned to trust in myself.
IC: For me, a little before the announcement for Drag Race was going to happen, we were literally in a pandemic and everything was shut down so I had lots of time to reflect about where I wanted to go, if I still wanted to go on. My decision was to retire from drag and then this opportunity ended up coming and I had a full discussion with my family on if I should continue and being on the show. Yes, I enjoy the fans and the friends that I've made! But being on the show… because I’m from Ottawa and in a bubble by myself, just being allowed to be on the show and doing well, has literally made me feel like I belong. I feel just getting the call and walking through those doors just made me feel like everything that I’ve gone through and being in the scene for so long… it was worth it. Regardless of the outcome or what whatever happens, I'm just happy to be included.
STT: I love that. The way I like to basically round my interviews off, is to give you a chance to give a shout out to another queer performer, they can be a king, a queen or anything in between! Just give a little shout out to who and why!
IC: I would like to shout out my makeover person Makayla, who is now my new daughter for my family. She first comes to mind! I have gotten so close to her and I just love her so much. I literally saw her last week and I think as the new generation of drag comes along I think she is a great face for it! I'm so excited to see what the future holds for her and I just love her, a lot!
Icesis (right) with her drag daughter Makalya (left) on the make over challenge on Canada’s Drag Race.
KG: Oh I love her too!
IC: Isn't she fantastic! Literally the best.
KG: I will also say my drag daughters, I have three of them, I have Venus, Kara Juku and South East… Get the Kardashian reference! I have a very close relationships with them in and out of drag. I love the idea of drag family so much, it just means a lot to me, so definitely my little babies!
PY: For me as well I’ll have to shout out my queer and drag family like Denim Pussy, she's an iconic, amazing trans man that does fem drag, super genderfuck, cool high fashion Y2K, revitalized, vomited on it, shitted on it! I’m rooting for her for maybe season 3! Also my drag husband HercuSleaze, he's a drag king, he has taken the level of drag into such a new direction with his style and I’ve never seen a drag artist go do what he does, I think he's so unique and amazing!
STT: Well you guys look fantastic! Thank you so much for sitting down with me, one of you unlucky three will be sitting down with me again on Friday (for our scheduled interview with the winner). All the Queens laugh!
STT: Unlucky for one of you.
IC: Now I don’t want to win!
All burst into hysterics!
STT: Reject the crown, be like I don’t want it, don’t make me talk to him again! But yeah… it was lovely talking to you all, apart from Icesis!
The laughing starts again!
STT: Best of luck and we will see who wins!
KG: Thank you my love!
IC: Thank you so much!
Pythia Blows kisses to the camera.
STT: BYE!
All: BYYYEEE!
Catch Canada’s Drag Race S2 exclusively in the UK on WOW Presents Plus every Friday, subscribe here.
Photography - Courtesy of World of Wonder
Note: Some of this interview has been edited from the original transcript to help with readability.